England 1 Croatia 0 - player ratings

It was a real team performance of discipline and skill, but here is how the individual players rated.

Jordan Pickford – even when Croatia played well, he had very little to do 6

Kyle Walker – got forward well in the first half, showed a fraction's indecision in the second, but thankfully it was not costly 7

John Stones – picked up a second-half injury but able to continue dealing with Croatia's threat well 7

Tyrone Mings – a couple of important first-half interceptions were important after playing unconvincingly in the warm-ups 7

Kieran Trippier– a strange choice at left-back. Did not let himself down but perhaps a left-footer might offer more going forward 6

Kalvin Phillips – defensively and going forward he was excellent, quickly into the game and England s best player 9

Declan Rice – played a huge part in wining the battle against an outstanding midfield 8

Phil Foden – set the tone with a shot curled against the base of the post after five minutes. His touch was exquisite throughout 8

Mason Mount – did a good job trying to help the midfield and Harry Kane 7

Raheem Sterling – a constant outlet for England and scorer of the only goal 8

Harry Kane – got clattered by a combination of Caleta-Car and the post at his only real glimpse of a chance 6.

Substitutes:

Marcus Rashford (for Foden, 71) – came on as a right winger and later played at centre-forward but the focus of the last 20 minutes was understandably defensive 6

Jude Bellingham (for Kane, 82) – became the youngest player to appear in a major tournament for England, and will be better for the experience 6

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (for Sterling, 90) – N/A

Not used: Shaw, Grealish, D Henderson, J Henderson, Coady, White, Johnstone, James, Saka.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you'll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click HERE to subscribe.